MUSKEGON, MI -- A water safety course offered in the Muskegon area will teach water current safety, how to recognize someone in trouble in the water and the "dangers of the surf environment" in the Great Lakes.

The Muskegon County Water Safety Task Force, in partnership with The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project (GLSRP), is offering a Great Lakes Water Safety class on Sunday, June 22, according to a press release issued by Safe Kids West Michigan.

Authorities have spoken about the dangers of Lake Michigan for years, warning of strong currents in the lake that many out-of-town residents aren't familiar with when they visit the area's beaches. Last July a 15-year-old Ypsilanti girl drown in Lake Michigan while at Pere Marquette Beach with her family.

The water safety class is free and open to the public, and, in the past, the class participants have consisted of the general public, surfers, lifeguards, police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, water rescue team members, dive team members and members of the U.S. Coast Guard.

The event schedule calls for a classroom session at 1 p.m. at the USS Silversides Submarine Museum, 1346 Bluff St., and a beach and water session at 2:15 p.m. at Pere Marquette Beach, 1600 Beach St. A meet-and-greet also is planned for 12:30 p.m. prior to the classroom session.

To register for the free event, visit www.glsrp.org/classes or call Dave Benjamin at 708-903-0166.

"Swimming in Lake Michigan is not like swimming in a pool. Currents formed by natural forces can create unpredictable conditions," said Holly Alway, Safe Kids West Michigan coordinator in the press release.

"We want Muskegon-area residents and visitors to know how to avoid potential hazards and how to respond in the event of an emergency," she said.

Here's what participants should be able to do upon completion of the class:

Understand that drowning is a leading cause of injury and death

Recognize the "Signs of Drowning" – How to identify a person in trouble.

Recognize the dangers of the surf environment, keeping personal safety as the primary responsibility

Understand dangerous currents; i.e. how, where and why dangerous currents occur and how to survive them